some people have suggested this-- I’m not it has a lot of traditional instruments on it… seems kinda dancey… am I wrong?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Boh4HsnACsA <-- actually looks like a mix, might be a good option, now thinking about this, also radically prefer hardware to software…
Can someone maybe define what a device needs to be able to play a piano, organ, choir as close as possible to the original (like Omnisphere or all the Piano apps). As far as I know those old Romplers use one sample with a looppoint and are able to polyphonically play that. So it only pitches the sound which is sometimes audible where as the Omnisphere guys e.g. give you tons of samples per instruments for each octave and specialities like sustained etc., right?
This …
As an example: A most realistic piano sampler has samples for each individual pitch, from 8 to 12 (maybe some even more) velocity layers per pitch, the influence of dampers off/on, and the sustain pedal, which allows resonances between strings. Yes the resonances are sampled too. For great pianos, which have three pedals, even this is included. Some allow to “open/close” the lid in various angles. For all those cases samples have been recorded and processed.
Same goes for guitars, drums, wind instruments and many others, providing different velocities and playing techniques. Just for fun … have a look what can be included for a string ensemble (scroll down to the large table “What’s Included”:
https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-symphonic-strings/
As far as I know the zen platform from Roland has all the basic rompler sounds in it, some might be in partials with other sounds because that’s how Roland’s work. Ever since the D50 synth every Roland preset has been made up of four sounds called “partials”.
In other words nobody has ever thought about recreating that in hardware. Samples could be licensed (I suppose there are by now a few companies specializing in sampling instruments).
So it’s all about playing and mixing lots of samples together. Doesn’t sound too complicated to me and totally doable in 2020.
Not complicated, yes, with the cost of mass-memory even affordable, but a lot of tedious work 
Everybody with a sampler, which always is “software” or “firmware” can do it. We can sample ITB and with adequate equipment OTB.
Software like Sample Robot are a great tool to create sample instruments, because they help with all this tedious recording and organizing …
I have two Roland JV1080’s loaded with sound cards. They are great for those traditional world/ethnic sounds. I’d love to see Elektron build a rompler.
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So, I went with the MC101 (roland), which totally works for my purposes (re: its sound).
Next problem, I have never sequenced external gear with my digitone before; can’t seem to get it working.
cable is going from out in midi to in in roland
digitone settings
output port config midi
output to midi
track channels, not sure why there are track channels and midi channels, but they’re both set to 1234
on the roland, midi through is yes
source sync midi
soft thru on
any advice? I’m so close, lol, but can’t get the digitone to play the mc101 yet…
- The DN has four tracks for its own DN voices. Those are called the “synth tracks”
- The DN has four additional MIDI tracks to control external gear.
Major difference:
- The synth tracks generate sound directly on the DN, because they control the DN voices.
- The MIDI tracks are supposed to control external gear and can’t create any sound on the DN (well, if not routed back to the DN MIDI inputs …)
The synth-tracks of the DN may be controlled by external gear as well. To accomplish this, each of the DN-synth-tracks have a MIDI-channel to receive MIDI-commands from external gear.
Generally, if the DN sends MIDI to external gear, the midi through is only important, if there is a daisy-chain of additional external MIDI gear. It does not affect the DN controlling the external synth.
To get a sequencer talk to external gear both have to use the same midi channels.
The used MIDI-track of the DN has to send its MIDI-events using the same MIDI channel, which the external gear is listening to.
Check the “MIDI TRACK PARAMETERS” section in the manual. This explains, how to set the MIDI channel of the DN. Then set the external gear to the same MIDI-channel.
This said …
- set DN-MIDI-track channel to 1
- set the synth to receive MIDI on channel 1
- connect DN-MIDI-OUT --> Synth-MIDI-IN
- set your notes, parameters, parameter-locks etc. on the dedicated DN-MIDI-track
- have fun …
This should do the job
BTW … check that you have set the DN to send MIDI to the used interface. There is MIDI, USB, or MIDI + USB possible. This can be checked in the “PORT CONFIG” menu
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First of all, thank you so much for the explanation.
I seem to have done what you have suggested, am outputting, e.g. midi on channel 2 from the DT into the mc101, which is set to receive it on ch. 2 and I’m hearing nothing.
So, wondering what setting is making this not work? What should I be hunting for? bc it says on the DT out at 2, and in the mc101 it says listening on 2.
? I just wrote Roland, but I’m wondering how do you trouble shoot this and/or check for signals… also can’t seem to get it to work with my digitakt, so I wonder what setting is off…
UPDATE:
clocks are synced
and I found that on the roland you need to set each track to receive midi (in the track menu, not the global menu)
still can’t hear anything though, but feel closer
UPDATE2:
Press [SYN1] and use the CHAN parameter to select a MIDI channel for the tracks output data <-- that’s what I wasn’t doing, I was setting global parameters and not track parameters on both machines
now when I turn the nob it doesn’t advance to the next channel… so figuring that out, likely the last thing
and done, everything works, and now I have insane FM instruments and regular traditional instruments with the mc101, all sequenced from the DT; dreammmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy
Thanks all for your help 
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Congratulations 
and have a lot of fun
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I’ve got a feeling that this family of hardware devices approaches the depth you’re talking about.